Oregon/USC

It's that time of they year once again. The final few weeks of college football's regular season when the top teams are battling for those coveted top 2 BCS rankings. And just when we thought it was getting interesting, USC is headed to Eugene for the game of the week. Oregon is coming off its most impressive performance of the season against Stanford, only to be tested once again against an 8-2 Trojans squad. The Ducks' dominating win over Stanford is quickly overshadowed by what might be Oregon's most important game of the season. Oregon can solidify itself as the top one loss team in the country with a convincing win this week, and is looking to clinch the Pac 12 North and home field advantage for the inaugural Pac 12 championship game. Meanwhile, although USC is unable to officially be ranked in the BCS standings or play in any bowl or championship games due to sanctions, don't think for a second that Lane Kiffin's team won't be ready and eager to play spoiler to Oregon's national title and Rose Bowl aspirations. The two teams have formed a bitter rivalry over the years, especially since Oregon stole USC's crown as kings of the Pac 10.

Both teams are very good on both sides of the ball. The Ducks and Trojans rank first (46.7) and fourth (34.1) in the Pac 12 points per game, respectively, and third (21.7) and fourth (22.4) in points allowed per game. Both starting quarterbacks have improved, and each team features a major offensive threat (Oregon's LaMichael James and USC's Robert Woods). Although Woods is listed as questionable for the game, I expect to see him out there and wanting the ball every time Matt Barkley drops back to throw. Oregon's corners are young and their inexperience has showed at times this season. With the assumption that Cliff Harris will once again be unavailable due to suspension, sophomore Avery Patterson and redshirt freshman Terrance Mitchell will have to play like they did last week against Stanford, as Barkley and the Trojans will be looking to air it out against Oregon's secondary.

Oregon's offensive game plan is simple: give the ball to LaMichael James. He's the best player on the team, and one of the best in the nation. Granted, USC will be aggressively trying to stop the run, but eventually Oregon's speed will wear them down and James will have a huge game. Their quarterback isn't too shabby either. Darron Thomas has quietly racked up 1,704 passing yards this season, along with 22 touchdowns against just 5 interceptions. He has been even better at home, tossing 15 TDs with a Qb rating of 209.9. The Ducks have no reason to panic if for some reason James has any trouble on the ground.

Prediction: Reports call for snow Saturday night in Eugene, something neither team is accustom to. Oregon however is used to the cold, so that could play to their advantage, although I don't expect the weather to hurt USC's performance. Each team will punt on its first possession, letting themselves and the fans warm up a bit. Oregon's second drive takes an eternity of five minutes, capped off by a LaMichael James 9 yard TD scamper. USC is quick to answer with a long pass from Barkley to Woods, and the game is on. The first half is a lot of back and forth football, resulting in a 22-17 Oregon lead. Robert Woods tweaks his bum ankle but returns for the second half. The scoring picks up immediately after the intermission, and USC takes their first lead on a Marc Tyler run, 24-22 University of Sexual Ballers. Oregon quickly responds with a 40 yard pass down the middle from Thomas to tight end David Paulson, putting the Ducks back on top 29-24. USC begins to struggle on offense late in the game and the Ducks begin to run down the clock. Each team salvages a few more points, and the fourth ranked Ducks of Oregon prevail, 39-27.

Players of the game: Offensively for Oregon, LaMichael James will do what he does best and rack up 156 yards and three rushing touchdowns. At this point it is to be expected, but that doesn't make it any less incredible. Matt Barkley plays well but is disappointed once again, completing 24-40 passes for 235 yards with 2 TDs and 1 pick.
On defense, veteran safety John Boyett records 7 dive tackles, helping to lock down USC's passing game in the secondary, yet remains the most underrated player on the Oregon roster. For USC, the snow will be the only thing slowing Oregon's offense down and holding them to 39 points.

This will mark the third straight victory for Oregon over USC, guaranteeing a Pac 12 championship game at Autzen Stadium, and a better outside chance at a second straight national title game birth.



Here's more insight from guest columnist Max Waterman

Primer

For the second week in a row the marquee college football matchup is in the Pac-12. After last weeks Oregon vs. Stanford tilt #4 Oregon will once again be in the spotlight when they face #18 USC. At 8-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play USC is leading the Pac-12 South but will not be eligible for the Pac-12 title game or a bowl game due to sanctions. The Trojans will be facing an Oregon team, 9-1 overall (7-0 conference), that has catapulted itself back into BCS title game talks by winning out since its season opening loss to LSU, culminating with a thrashing of previous #4 Stanford last Saturday. Oregon will be playing to clinch the Pac-12 North.

Opposing Preview: USC

The sanctions that prevent USC from playing in the postseason and being ranked in the BCS and Coaches poll have pushed USC from its previous perch of Pac-10 king but lately USC has begun to resemble the teams that used to dominate the Pac-10. Oregon coach Chip Kelly even went as far as claiming that USC is the most talented team in the conference. While there not quite back at the top yet USC’s dismantling of Notre Dame and Washington have served notice that the Trojans are still a force to be reckoned with.

Led by QB Matt Barkley, who holding to tradition bashed the Ducks during game week, the Trojans have serious firepower as evidenced by 3 straight games of 40+ points. Barkley has two elite WR’s at his disposal in sophomore Robert Woods and true freshman Marquise Lee. Woods; 92 receptions, 1126 yards, and 11 touchdowns, is arguably the top WR in the nation but has been suffering from ankle and shoulder injuries which has put his status in doubt for the Oregon game. Diminutive junior RB Curtis Mcneal who is averaging 7 yards a carry has helped balance out the Trojan attack by rushing for over 100 yards in 3 of his past 4 games.

On defense the Trojans are young but still very talented. USC only gives up 24.8 points per game and excels at stopping the run. The Trojans only give up an average of 100.4 yards per game and will undoubtedly be focused on stopping LaMichael James who has gashed them in the teams two previous meetings. Oregon will look to exploit USC’s inexperienced linebackers, all three starters are freshman, with its usual misdirection and play action. The secondary has improved from last years but still isn’t anything special to write home about.

Devils Advocate: Why USC will win

1. The WR’s- While Oregon does have a good defense that has come on as of late they still have a tendency to get torched in the secondary. The best wide outs in the Pac-12 have put up some great numbers against Oregon: Arizona’s Juron Criner 9 (receptions) 96 (yards), Cal’s Keenan Allen 9-170-1 (touchdown), and Arizona State’s Gerrel Robinson 6-120-1. Not to take away anything from the players listed above but Robert Woods is simply in different class ability wise. Even with talk of Woods being doubtful for this game I expect him to play. Oregon’s secondary can’t let Woods and freshman burner Marquise Lee beat them.

2. Run Stopping- As mentioned above USC is having a standout year in regards to stopping the run. The last two times Oregon has lost it has been due to an inability run the ball consistently. USC’s defense certainly isn’t LSU’s and doesn’t have any players of Nick Fairley’s caliber but running against the Trojans will still be challenging for the Ducks. Look for USC to sell out against the run and make Darron Thomas beat them through the air.

3. Letdown game for Oregon- According to Chip Kelly letdown games for Oregon are impossible but lets be honest Oregon played their biggest game of the Pac-12 last week in Palo Alto. Even if there is a minor drop off in intensity from Oregon the Trojans are good enough to take advantage and make the Ducks pay. The dynamics of this game remind me of 2009 when Oregon beat USC at home in 2009 in the Pac-10’s game of the year only to lose at Stanford the next weekend. Obviously it’s a little different since Oregon is at home this weekend but there is still potential for Oregon to come out a little flat, which could open the door for USC.

Why Oregon Will Win

1. It’s at Autzen- I hate saying stuff like this because I always feel like I’m going to jinx it but Oregon has basically been invincible at home in Chip Kelly’s tenure as head coach. The Civil War in 2009 was the last time a visiting team contended with Oregon for a full four quarters. Autzen is an electric environment that the Ducks feed off. I don’t expect this weekend to be any different even if the forecast calls for some inclement weather.

2. Did you watch the game last weekend? – Oregon looked dominant last weekend against Stanford in all phases of the game. Even though they gave up 30 points the defense still made Andrew Luck have his worst game of the year. Offensively, led by LaMichael James, the Ducks looked as explosive as ever. The past few years Oregon has been blessed with a stable of great punt and kick returners and this year is no different but how about some love for the punter? Jackson Rice had another banner game last weekend and has quietly turned into one of the nations elite punters. Rice earns double points for commanding Oregon’s swinging gate two point conversion formation which has Oregon tied for the national lead in two-point conversions.

3. Depth- While USC may be as talented as Oregon they still lack the depth to keep up with Oregon due to scholarship restrictions. Oregon’s no huddle attack consistently wears teams down in the second half of games and USC’s lack of depth plays right into this. For those that don’t remember last years game USC and Oregon looked to be in a dogfight before USC tired leading to an easy Oregon victory.

Prediction

This game makes me a little nervous but in the end I think Oregon will get the victory due to their patented strong second half. Matt Barkley and crew will put up some points but in the end I don’t think it will be enough to match the Ducks.

Oregon 41 USC 27

Stars of the Game

Offense: LaMichael James- I know I’m really going out on a limb here but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. James has had his way with the Trojans in his two previous matchups and I don’t think this one will be any different. I’ll also venture that James will take a punt back for a touchdown as USC has been suspect in their special teams coverage’s at times this season.

Defense: John Boyett- Boyett is a ball hawk which is why its confusing to only see a zero interceptions next to his name. This isn’t to say Boyett isn’t doing his job but more he's due to snag one at some point. Even if he doesn’t snatch an interception look for Boyett to deflect some passes and rack up 10+ tackles.